The United Nations says attacks on schools worldwide are on the rise, with more than 500 attacks in the first six months of the year, many of them in war zones.
Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children in armed conflict, told a U.N. Security Council meeting that 2017 might be a record year for the number of schools bombed and destroyed.
In 2016, Gamba said the United Nations was able to verify 753 attacks on schools and hospitals. But she said the actual number is likely much higher because many places are too dangerous for U.N. staff to enter.
She said a new pattern of attacks has emerged in recent years that have targeted school children, teachers and education facilities. She said this could have happened because schools are seen as a symbol of the state or armed groups are unhappy with the school's curriculum.
联合国说，世界上越来越多的学校受到攻击，今年上半年发生了500多次对学校的攻击，其中很多学校位于交战区。
联合国儿童与武装冲突问题特使甘巴在联合国安理会的一次会议上说，2017年受到炸弹袭击和被摧毁的学校数量可能是有史以来最多的一年。
甘巴说，联合国确认了2016年学校和医院受到753次攻击，但是实际数字很可能更高，因为一些地方过于危险，联合国人员无法进入。
甘巴说，最近若干年来，以学校儿童、教师和教育机构为目标而发功攻击已成为一个趋势，可能是因为学校被视为象征国家的一部分，或是因为武装组织不喜欢学校教授的课程。